Thanks to Maramor Chocolates, the reason for eating candy just got a little sweeter. In April, the Columbus-based company debuted a new line of dark chocolate containing Omega-3, a natural anti-inflammatory known to ease joint pain and promote cardiovascular health. The candy, comprised of 70 percent cocoa, offers a tasty alternative to those who turn their nose up at salmon, tuna or sardines –– known to contain generous amounts of the fatty acid –– or those not wishing to partake of common alternatives such as fish oil or capsules.
“Who doesn’t like chocolate?” company president Mike Ryan says with a smile. “This is a great way to get the benefits of Omega-3 without the fishy taste.”
The idea for the candy took hold a year and a half ago when Ryan met Dr. Joseph Maroon, a neurosurgeon at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and author of the book, Fish Oil: The Natural Anti-Inflammatory, at a conference. The two began talking about the myriad benefits associated with chocolate and Omega-3.
“I had just read research on dark chocolate and learned that the antioxidants in it help lower blood pressure,” Maroon says. “I told Mike this might be an opportunity for him to combine a very potent natural anti-inflammatory like Omega-3 with a powerful antioxidant.”
After multiple taste tests, Maramor chocolatiers discovered the recipe for a product that, Maroon says, “is remarkably outstanding in terms of taste and consistency that’s sure to appeal to the 45 percent of the population who eat chocolate once a week.” Three squares total 150 calories and contain 315 mg of EPA and DHA Omega-3 fatty acids, the equivalent of one fish oil capsule. GNC stores around the country have begun stocking the chocolate.
Results have been positive — so much so that Ryan is developing a similar product made with milk chocolate.
“People,” he says, “are happy to learn there’s actually a benefit to eating chocolate.”
For more information, visit
www.maramor.com.